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Daily Archives: April 17, 2014

Rutgers announced Thursday a pair of events to usher in its July 1 entrance into the Big Ten, including a “Big Ten Academic Advantage Panel” on May 2, 10 a.m., at the Rutgers University Visitor Center that will include Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, university President Robert Barchi and University of Nebraska’s Faculty Athletics Representative and Rutgers alumna Josephine Potuto. The open forum will address the academic advantages of Big Ten Conference membership.

On July 1, Rutgers will hold an “R B1G Party” inside its football stadium, an open event that will include video board presentations and a fireworks display.

The fan-friendly events geared toward Rutgers’ new conference home are in addition to the previously announced “R B1G Tour,” which will feature Rutgers head coaches and Big Ten officials traveling the region in the coming months.

The “R B1G Tour” features Rutgers head coaches and officials traveling the region in the coming months. They will make 145 stops, including six premier stops, to showcase Rutgers as the birthplace of college football and commemorate Rutgers’ 145th season of play.

Online registration for the premier events, as well as additional information on the officials who will attend, is available via the Rutgers University Alumni Association web siteat Ralumni.com/RBigTour14.

After enrolling at Rutgers in January, cornerback Kam Lott could have a chance to play as a true freshman if he keeps improving through the summer. (Courtesy of Rutgers athletics)

PISCATAWAY — Marcus Applefield and Kam Lott understand the chances for significant playing time as freshman are slim, but both believe they have gotten a leg up on their competition with their performances this spring.

As two of the five mid-year enrollees competing in Rutgers’ spring camp, Applefield and Lott have gained the kind of experience their peers won’t have once they arrive with the rest of the 25-member recruiting class this summer.

“I already know what to expect, all the plays that are being put in will help me come camp-time,” said Lott, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound cornerback from Jacksonville, Fla. “I think I’ll be ready to (contribute to Rutgers’ secondary) as long as I keep doing what I do.”

Applefield agreed, saying that his time spent working with Rutgers’ second-team offense at right tackle has been invaluable.

“I’m the youngest guy on the line but I have 10 or 11 older guys helping me out so I’m getting better and better every single day,” said Applefield, a 6-6, 285-pound lineman from Weeki Wachee, Fla. “I think I’m getting better every day. Getting help from the older guys has been tremendous.”

Both graduated their respective Florida high schools in 3½ years in order to compete for playing time early in their collegiate careers. For now, their decisions appear to be paying off as Scarlet Knights coach Kyle Flood on Thursday wouldn’t rule out any of the freshmen early-enrollees earning playing time this season.

“It’s still a little too early,” Flood said. “I think when they have an opportunity to learn everything for the second time I think we’ll have a better indication of what they’ll be able to contribute next year.”

Offensive lineman Bryan Leoni is a fifth-year senior from Hunterdon Central High School who is pushing for an expanded role. (Courtesy of Rutgers athletics)

By Josh Newman

PISCATAWAY — Last season — after Rutgers lost its season opener at Fresno State and before it faced Norfolk State in the home opener — Scarlet Knights head coach Kyle Flood had some good news for offensive lineman Bryan Leoni.

Leoni, now a fifth-year senior who was a walk-on at the time, was told he was being put on scholarship. That is obviously a landmark accomplishment for any walk-on athlete at the Division I level, but the Flemington native’s road to that moment was a long one.

“It really did validate everything I’ve been doing,” said Leoni, who is on the two-deep this spring behind starting left tackle Keith Lumpkin. “I put in the hard work, the coaches were telling me I was working hard and doing a good job and that was just the cherry on top.”

As a junior at Hunterdon Central, Leoni says he topped at 410 pounds, which made him a mammoth offensive lineman, but not one that was mobile, athletic or ready to compete at a major Football Bowl Subdivision program. He committed himself to losing all that weight and by the time he got to Piscataway as a walk-on, he was down to 240 pounds.

At that point, the real work began.

“The biggest thing was, after I lost the weight, I had to get comfortable putting the weight back on because that’s a really hard mental hurdle to get over,” Leoni said. “It was just eating, getting in the weight room, doing extra lifting sessions, and again, just eating, and eating and eating.”

The result of all that eating and all that lifting has been on display this spring. Leoni stands at an imposing 6-foot-6, 280 pounds. After playing in five games and appearing on the two-deep throughout last season, Leoni is primed for a bigger role this fall as Rutgers readies for its first trip through the Big Ten.

Alexis Gunzelman is a three-time team MVP for Rutgers as selected by the EAGL. Now she is headed to the NCAA Nationals. (Courtesy of Rutgers athletics)

PISCATAWAY — The hugs and the congratulations started pouring in and Alexis Gunzelman could not turn off the happy tears over making Rutgers gymnastics history.

At least not until the senior’s crowning achievement — qualifying for NCAA nationals — was almost stolen away before it became real, when one of Rutgers assistant coaches said, “We’re like 95 percent sure you are going.”

“I’m like, ‘Wait. You are pretty sure?’ ” Gunzelman said. “I stopped crying and then everybody is coming up to me because as soon as I started crying they realized what I’m crying about. They’re like, ‘Oh my God, congratulations,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not saying anything until I know for sure I’m going. Once they announced the all-arounders and I tied for second, I couldn’t cry anymore. I was just full of joy. The first thing I did was go hug my parents. It was really just a great moment.”

The Tabernacle native’s career has been full of moments not expected from a walk-on. She was named First Team All-East Atlantic Gymnastics League in every event and the all-around this season and she earned her third team Most Valuable Player honor from the conference.

With those honors already on her résumé, Gunzelman scored a 39.175 in the all-around April 5 at NCAA regionals to earn a spot in nationals, where the top two teams and the top two individuals from each of the country’s six regionals will compete Friday in Birmingham, Ala. She is Rutgers’ second nationals qualifier after Courtney Turner advanced in floor exercise in 2002 and the first to do so in the all-around.

“It’s definitely something I’ve always wanted,” Gunzelman said. “I never really pictured myself being there. It’s exciting for me to have finally gotten this far and at such a clutch time because it is my senior year. It feels as though I’m training for regionals, not a competition I can’t imagine myself being at. It’s so surreal still.”

Rutgers coach Louis Levine has less trouble believing it.

“I’ve said before, ‘She is the best all-around we’ve ever had,’ ” he said, “and this reaffirms that.”

Prospects are able to sign letters of intent beginning Wednesday. Per a new rule last season, college football programs are able to accept National Letters of Intent (NLIs) during an early signing period for three days in December. These NLIs are a binding commitment between school and individual. In 2018, this period begins Wednesday December […]

The former Scarlet Knight rushed for over 100 yards for the third time in his past five games Gus Edwards has paved an unlikely path from undrafted free agent to making the practice squad to becoming the starting running back for the Baltimore Ravens, all since this past April. After having a productive final season […]